MAUSOLEUMS = MUSEUM

Who could have thought a cemetery can be one of the worlds most visited tourist destinations.

Not far from the Badaling Great Wall of China and kilometers away from Beijing City lies the Ming Tombs, which is the general name given for the Mausoleums of the 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Each mausoleum is replete with cultural and historical value and since according to our tour guide, its architectural designs are similar although sizes may vary, we were taken to the most magnificent one, the tomb of the last emperor...the Changling Mausoleum.

Wandering in this mausoleum made us realize how great these emperors could have been as they were valued so much by their people and even preserved their greatness in a showcase of their lives and contributions they have made to the greatness of Chinese civilization.

Our tour of the Ming Tombs is still part of the package tour that we have availed. I apologize for not being so attentive while the presentation is being made by our tour guide, as we are actually not used to availing of tour packages as we believe everything can be researched. Our game plan is just to take many pictures as we can and research what has been taken afterwards. Nevertheless, we did partly enjoy the tour though. It's just that if we were on our own we could have spent less time here and spent more time at the Great Wall of China...

For travelers who don't want to avail of tour packages, here are the suggested ways on how to get to this place:

By Bus:

1. Special tourist Bus 872 (formerly 925) run directly from Deshengmen to Changling every 30 minutes in peak hours from 07:10-19:10.

2. Take bus 345 (快), 919 (支) 1 at De Sheng Men Xi Station, get off at Chang Ping Dong Guan Station, and take bus 314, Changping 23 to Ming Dingling Tomb Station or Changling Tomb Station.

By Sub-way:

Take Subway Line 5 to Tiantongyuan Bei Station, get out of the subway station and shift to bus Changping 23 to Ming Zhaoling Tomb

After a series of strolling and taking pictures around the vicinity, below are the images to expect in the mausoleum turned into a museum.

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About The Author

I am a CPA-lawyer by profession and a full-time wanderer. My tsinelas (slippers) have been my constant companion in my quest to discover the world we live in. No matter which part of the world I am, though oftentimes mistaken of a different nationality, I am always proud to wear my slippers, a mark of a Filipino wanderer.